Book Description

An ice-cold glass of root beer and a warm welcome greeted thousands of weary paddlers who stopped at the Isle of Pines to meet Dorothy Molter, the courageous, independent woman who became a North Woods legend. Bob Cary, Dorothy's longtime friend, captures the life and spirit of the Boundary Waters' last permanent resident, the Root Beer Lady. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Outstanding story
I have been going to the BWCAW for the past three years. Reading this story just brings back all of the memories that I have been collecting over the last 3 years. Reading this book you can take yourself back to the wilderness area by moose lake, ensign lake and farther north to knife lake. It's a beautiful area that all should visit.

getting away from it all
Dorothy Molter was an independent woman who managed to live her dream in one of the most beautiful and serene wilderness areas in the world. In her cabin on a lake in the boundary waters canoe area, she lived alone and in harmony with nature. Thirsty canoe travelers would stop by to visit Dorothy and she offered them root beer, which she bottled herself. This is an inspiring, true story of independent living; highly recommended to anyone who has ever dreamed of living in the woods.

An enjoyable story about a woman in the North woods
Root Beer Lady is the story of Dorothy Moulter, a woman who moved from depression era Chicago to the Northwoods of Minnesota. If you've ever visited, or read about, Ely Minnesota, doubtless you've heard a little about her.
Although the story is interesting for the most part it does drag a bit in some areas. I found it pretty fascinating though. Kinda makes you want to pack everything up, and move to the middle of no-where. ... Read more

Book Description

Once upon a time Linus Torvalds was a skinny unknown, just another nerdy Helsinki techie who had been fooling around with computers since childhood. Then he wrote a groundbreaking operating system and distributed it via the Internet -- for free. Today Torvalds is an international folk hero. And his creation LINUX is used by over 12 million people as well as by companies such as IBM.

Now, in a narrative that zips along with the speed of e-mail, Torvalds gives a history of his renegade software while candidly revealing the quirky mind of a genius. The result is an engrossing portrayal of a man with a revolutionary vision, who challenges our values and may change our world.

Reviews (63)

Real Insight into Linux, its founder and the future.
I loved this book. Linus Torvalds is a unique individual: a very bright guy with no megalomaniacal ego. This book is his autobiography, written with Red Herring's David Diamond. What I found refreshing was that while Diamond certainly proofed it and managed the effort, the book is not some detached ghost-writing. Instead, the book maintains two narratives: Torvalds' first person recounting of his life, Linux, and his family life, and Diamond's outsider perspective, looking in. The dual-narrative device works, and Diamond's narrative (set off in italics) gives the book a refreshing shift that makes the book all the more readable.

Linus Torvalds, it turns out, was a geeky kid growing up near Helsinki, Finland. Part of the swedish-speaking minority there, he was the son of a communist activist (dad) and journalist (mom), who divorced when he was young. With one sister (who also became a journalist later in life), young Linus (age 10) gained an early interest in computers that never stopped. In school he was the wiz at math and physics, and was generally referred to as the "Math Guy."

From this start, the narrative runs to how at a university level he decided to learn the innards of the Intel 386 CPU, and decided that the the way to do that would be to port Minix (an academic poor cousin of unix) to the i386 CPU. The detail of the effort, and his description of how thus Linux was born is sufficient for the expert reader, but well-explained enough for the lay computer user to comprehend.

Interspersed in this book is Torvalds' trademark self-deprecating humor. When asked in a public setting how he planned to capture the server and desktop markets, he answers that he hasn't personally captured anyone. The point of this and other magic moments, when corporate computerdom, and the trade press bump into him, is the realization that being the next Bill Gates was *not ever* his motivation.

There is a clear sense you get reading this book that Linus Torvalds and Linux are phenomena that are structured like forces of nature, against which any corporate bastion of proprietary software (Microsoft?) will ultimately inexorably fall. I once heard Jon ("Mad Dog") Hall, the founder of Linux International say that he had a presentation about Linux, early on, with a single slide that read, "Linux Is Inevitable." Torvalds understands that, and is not worried for the future. He even provides a tripartite condensation for the meaning of life, which operate as motivators for human action: 1. survival, 2. social order, & 3. fun. He argues that all endeavors start at (1), and evolve toward (3). Linux for him was (2) the social framework of the open source movement, and definitely (3) fun. The man seems well-adjusted and "normal." Very refreshing given the driven insanity of Gates, Ellison and McNealy.

I highly recommend this book for its detail about a very important anti-hero of our times, who has a better view of the future than the proprietary computer moguls. The ultimate future of Linux? Torvalds thinks it will ultimately disappear into the devices of the future, and will not be thought about, in the same way that you do not ponder upgrades to your microwave's operating system today.

What we are left with by the last page of the book is a normal guy with a family, living in California, and working for revolutionary low-power chipmaker Transmeta. Linus is back to his first love: CPU's. This is a great book, and a fast read. Buy it!

A Book About Life
When I first picked up this book, I thought it would just be about the startup and growth of the Linux operating system. Well it was all of that, AND more! This book not only speaks about the making of the greatest open source project ever, it talks about life. It goes into an in depth history of Linus Torvalds from child to present. In between some chapters there are details about some parts of the interview process for the book which somewhat detract from the main point. I would have liked it better if there was another chapter with this devoted entirely to it.

The writing style is very easy to understand. I don't know if thats because I am a nerd or what? But before the talk about the beginnings of Linux there is a page warning you of intermediate geek language, so I suppose non-tech savy people should stay clear. I would recommend this book for anyone interested in computers or wanting to learn more about Linux.

Insightful!
In Just for Fun, Linus Torvalds, the Finnish creator of the Linux operating system, mixes his personal story, told in both narrative and e-mail dispatches, with the saga of his development of the Linux operating system. Torvalds' personal account makes the book fascinating. He began as a self-proclaimed nerd (and even a jerk) who labored to create an operating system in his garage and eventually became the head of the world's largest open source project. By requiring buyers and licensees to keep the Linux source code open, Torvalds assures the continued technological evolution of his system. The episodic nature of the book makes it choppy, the technical descriptions are hard for the uninitiated to track and co-writer David Diamond's digressions are revealing about Torvalds' personal life, but a little disruptive. Even so, we recommend this entertaining, interesting book that may even lead you to consider using Linux on your computer, whether or not you are another self-proclaimed computer nerd.

Expecting much better
First problem Mr. Torvalds co-wrote the book - should've left it to the professionals. Though one gets the impression from the book that he's such a control freak that wasn't an option. Considering his ego I'm suprised the book wasn't longer. A lot of drivel, negative comments about industry people he's met, ego stroking, self-important blather. He's cashed out, made his millions and good for him - think he'd acknowledge the Free Software Foundation/GNU etc. instead of critizing them. Nothing wrong with being a sell-out, just don't deny it and minimize the contributions others made to your success.

Enjoyed reading it
Nice reading, several good ideas.
Mr. Torvalds deserves what he got.
I just hope to use some day Fredix or Diannix OS.
Jag gör det! ... Read more

Book Description

Written for both the novice and experienced investor, this fascinating blend of biography and keen investment analysis has garnered acclaim in the world of high finance.

Nikki Ross has struck the mother lode about how to invest wisely in an increasingly uncertain world.The easy to follow investment insights she's gathered impart the various strategies of these "superinvestors" and explain how to integrate and implement them in today's markets.Five lifetimes of legendary Wall Street wisdom are distilled into three brilliantly simple steps.Readers will learn how best to gather the information and find investment leads; evaluate the data; and when to buy, hold and sell. ... Read more

Reviews (11)

Just read the "Evaluation" part
This book discusses on the techniques Warren Buffet (value/growth), Benjamin Graham (value), Phil Fisher (growth), T. Rowe Price (growth), and John Templeton (growth use or have used to make their fortunes.

The book is divided into 6 parts on one each of these legends and another on how to combine the knowledge of these experts. The sections are organized in an interesting way first off you learn what some of the stocks the well known investor has bought and why they met their purchasing criteria. There is also a nice 3 steps to how you can use their methods in your investments, this in turn is organized by:

1. Gathering information (this part it almost worthless in my opinion since it is very similar for each of the investors)

2. Evaluate (this is the best part of each of the areas in the book, you learn the questions these masters would ask a company and themselves. It's very good.)

3. Making decisions discusses how the masters decide when to buy and sell the stock.

This book and "The Money Masters" by John Train are interesting reads if you enjoy learning about the careers and wisdom these masters are willing to share.

I believe this book wouldn't be very useful for strict CAN SLIM investors or day traders but good for the buy and hold or long term growth and value investors it definitely shows you some of the possibilities.

Reed Floren

A Classic "Must Read" Investment Book
Nikki Ross has documented principal strategies and investing advice from the great Wall Street legends of our time. I have found the underlying principals of Buffet and his mentors as well as Price and Templeton to be very helpful. It is an easy to read enjoyable book. It may not be for day traders in general, but they could benefit from the list of questions asked by the masters before investing. I believe that had many investors read and applied this book prior to and during the recent crash, they might have saved a lot of money.

Blake Conant

A Must Read for Investors
This book has a refreshingly commonsense approach to investing. It contains a great deal of worthwhile advice and wisdom from some of the world's best investors. I am not an experienced investor, however I found it to be understandable and learned useful information from it. I would highly recommend it.

Worthless
This book is worthless. The true 'lessons' make up only a few pages of the book and these lessons are not detailed enough to make financially sound decisions. For example, a lesson such as "What is the PE Ratio?" is similar to what you would find in the book. OK, the PE ratio is 3. Is that good? Is that bad? How about 40? What is high? What is low? Do current interest rates effect PE ratio levels? What is an acceptable PE ratio for a growth stock? What is an acceptable PE ratio for a cyclical stock? You'll get no answers from this book.

The best "lessons" section (though still unacceptable) came from John Templeton. But these were a direct quote from an interview Templeton gave the Christian Science Monitor. The author must have spent a few weeks writing this book.

Most of the book is babble, reproduction of articles/reports, duplication of previous sections, and educational definitions for the newbie.

My lesson to you is to take the money you were going spend on this book and go buy a U.S. Savings bond. You will be richer and wiser in the end.

Not all its cracked up to be...
...- I bought the book BUT Nikki Ross gives a basic three-step approach to investing, that is repeated throughout the book. 1. Collect info, 2. Analyse info, 3. Make a decision. And that's about as complex as the book gets.

Don't waste your money, unless you're after a very simplistic overview of investing. ALL OF THE FIVE STAR REVIEWS OVERRATE THIS BOOK - 1 Star (at best).

...

If you're after real value on practical management implementation tools that link strategy & financial numbers then YOU HAVE TO INVEST IN "Performance Measurement & Control Systems for Implementing Strategy" by Robert Simons. ... Read more

Book Description

The New York Times Bestseller

"Byron gets all the way to the heart of Martha Stewart."
— David McClintick, author, Indecent Exposure

Love her or hate her, the story of Martha Stewart and the history of her company are incredible. From the suburban kitchens of Connecticut to the boardrooms of Wall Street, her story is filled with power, drama, conflict, and tragedy.In this updated, new paperback, business writer and columnist Christopher Byron details the most recent events involving Martha Stewart. He gives you the inside story of Martha’s most horrible year, with headlines of possible insider trading and obstruction of justice, accompanied by the roller-coaster plunge in her company’s stock, and the deepening uncertainties regarding the future of her relationship with Kmart.

Out of an imagined bliss, Martha created a billion dollar media and merchandising empire devoted to the celebration of home, food, and family. Martha Inc. reveals how it all began, and then developed–and how it could all end.

"Enough dish to feed Martha Stewart lovers and loathers alike in this scrupulously reported bio."
–People magazine

"Jaw-dropping tales of excess and success."
–New York Times

"Christopher Byron has redefined the Martha Moment."
–USA Today

***A BusinessWeek Top Ten Business Book of the Year*** ... Read more

Reviews (102)

Just Desserts Is Better
Martha Inc. is a balanced biography of Martha Stewart, but short on recent details. I was hoping to read more about her life after she started Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, but most of the material is a re-hash of many events that one can read in Just Desserts. The epilogue contains information about Martha and Kmart after the tech bust and Kmart's bankruptcy, which is a nice follow-up. The author, Christopher Byron, seems a bit star-struck by Martha, too, calling her a "beautiful blonde" a few too times in the book. Martha Inc. is a good read for Martha followers like me -- subscriber to the magazine, viewer of her TV show, consumer of Martha products -- but to the reader who wants even juicier details, read Just Desserts first.

It's OK. Just OK.
The book was an interesting read, but that's about it. If you're looking for a book that shows the "insides" of her OmniMedia corporation, how the day to day operations work, how the corporation is structured, etc., you won't find it here.

If you are looking for a tell-all book on Martha, the woman, you really won't find it here either. (I presume Just Desserts is more of that ilk, although I haven't read it.) Many parts of her personal life, like her relationship with the millionaire Microsoft exec or any major details of her relationship with her daughter are entirely absent.

Instead what you get is kind of a amateur psychological overview detailing how Stewart's early childhood, specifically her relationship with her father, influenced the rest of her life, and more specifically how his behavior and treatment of others became her role model for dealing with everyone in her life.

It's a cliche that anyone of average intelligence could come up with. Coupled with the author's constant psychoanalysing, throughout the book the author seems hell-bent on constantly reminding us she was this poor little girl from Nutley, NJ. The two themes end up being repeated again and again and become monotonous by the end. Enough already. We get the point.

Perhaps Martha is just one-dimensional - a person with a sleep disorder and a job. And if we are to believe what's written here, that's pretty much her sole existence, aside from her constant reinventing of her past. And if that's the case, her efforts at creating the illusion of a deeper existence by appreciating the finer and simpler things in life is just that - an illusion. But the book doesn't really go much into Martha the human, but rather Martha the perception.

We're reminded of her marriage, but details behind it, during it, and after it aren't really fleshed out, simply used as another point that Martha inherited her father's temperment. We don't learn much about her current relationship with her daughter nor do we really have a clue as to what the rest of Martha's siblings do, other than a few work for her, and one hates her. Instead most of what we get are details from one of her former friends who seemed more co-dependent and willing to subject herself to the Martha-rath.

What is interesting however, in the book, is a pattern that evolves painting (although I believe unintentionally so) Stewart not as a real revolutionary with determined passion for bringing civility to a world spinning out of control, but rather someone who blindly fell into luck and whose fortune was not so much "made" by her, but rather invented by others. Examples such as her Kmart deal, her first book deal and the fact she didn't even write the book herself, etc. go to show that Martha not only didn't come up with these ideas, but barely was able to do the tasks required, or even negotiate the deals to her benefit. Instead, we learn, had it not been for her husband, or a whole cast of smarter characters, Martha most likely would still be making pies and catering Westport wingdings.

For me, these facts proved most the most fascinating piece of the book. ...

I don't love or hate Martha Stewart. But I am intrigued by her success. To that end, this book set out to explain how she came about such success. So anyone looking for a glimpse, not a detailed analysis of Martha's rise, will find the book at least entertaining. The author did research his topic and I certainly feel the information is accurate. But those who want more of Martha, won't get it here. And those who want a book more about the innerworkings and dealings of OmniMedia written with more than a pop-psychology, damsel in distress tone will be disappointed.

vampire Christopher
Christopher Byron's sensibility indicates that he is a small-minded, pathologically envious little weasle of a man, who tries to puff up his empty meaningless life by attempting to denigrate a great woman who has brought great beauty and grace to our culture. Unless you're one of those nasty-spirited people who find glee in joining the pack of hyenas who hate powerful, brilliant, talented women because the light from great women's souls is too bright and reveals too vividly your pathetic life, avoid this book. Byron is simply a mean little vampire, trying to suck money and notoriety from the life blood of Martha. Shame on John Wiley & Sons for publishing this book.

A successful woman always be treated unfairly
Successful women are deemed to be monsters all the time and in everywhere, from ancient to modern day and from east to west. Because Martha Stewart couldn't be that perfect and elegant, her other disgraceful side is uncovered by people who want to entertain public. That's main idea of this book, rather than to persent an insightful and true story.
In the content of this book, when Martha Stewart delivered her ideas of living to male executives, those men didn't understand how she can make money and lure audience by triming roses..... I don't need to mention the result that how successful she becomes. However, the above does reveal something, that man doesn't know what woman thinks and likes. He can't analyze or criticize a woman who he understands nothing.
In my country, it is like a curse that a woman succeeds in her career then her husband would become a loser.
I really hope people to be nice to these exhausted women.

okay, weird under-currents
If you're trying to figure out who Martha Stewart is, having only recently taken much notice of her thanks to scandal, this book provides an okay insight. I'd already assessed that she had a reputation for being bossy & determined, to say the least, so there wasn't much revelation here. I'd heard she had a strong temper. (this appears to be a greater crime if you're a woman) What struck me, however, wasn't Martha's domineering personality or her march to success, & failure, but what appeared to be an abundance of passive-aggressive people in her life. No doubt a strong, domineering person attracts them like flies, but their words are given like fact in this book, no motives questioned, though every one of her hangers-on (her husband especially) seem to have an agenda, and seemed quite intent on appearing victimized - though they clearly expected gain from their relationship with a powerful person. It just seemed kind of creepy to me. (especially the photograph of her wimpy husband hunkered down in an almost grotesquely passive position while she stands facing the camera - above.) Whatever else, one suspects Martha is better off without THAT guy!

One small thing struck me as odd - at some point in the book, the author uses Chicken Feeding as evidence that Martha over-worked her guests. This was stated as evidence to support some woman's assertion that she was misused, and Martha was 'mean.' Something about this struck me as peculiar. Chicken Feeding doesn't require hours of back-breaking labor. Maybe once a week, you fill up their feeders, you clean out their waterers. It occurs to me that such an act might be deemed fun, by someone who enjoys animals. The woman also mentioned having to 'let out the dogs.' How hard can THAT be? I hope she learns to pick real people rather than this type one day!

I can't say I liked Martha Stewart much before all this - but I felt more sympathy for her after reading about those who seemed... disingenuous at best. Martha struck me as overt, a wolf outright, & I think I'd rather deal with that than a horde of 'wolf in sheep's clothing' types, especially if they were befriending me with a notion of one day writing a book at my expense. (and increasing their own) ... Read more

Book Description

Asha Tyson's own rise from homelessness at 17 to prominence deems her an expert on personal achievement. Now she reveals the secrets of her success by offering you an easy-to-understand blueprint that can afford you the lifestyle you always wanted.

Here Tyson examines and shatters the mold of traditional retirement ideas that reek of defeat; she demonstrates a winning and fresh philosophy that is effective for anyone at any age.

How I Retired at 26! provides an eye-opening practical process for obtaining personal, professional and financial freedom all in this one astonishing book!

With her coaching, you will learn new techniques that rid you of worry--for good! You can apply these proven principles and begin living a life that most people only talk about and dream of! ... Read more

Reviews (8)

You can only fix you!
This book was a revelation for me. I felt as though Asha was reading my mind. She answered so many question that I never asked anyone but God. I open my eyes and my mind to see persons for who they are, not who I was trying to make them be. I realesed the negative person in my life and held on to the good ones. The book was absolutly excellent. I am waiting to see the movie.

Absolutely..A must read
This is by far one of the best inspirational, self-help books that I have read! Asha has taken a down home approach into helping people realize their goals. It can be done! She overcame defeat and rebounded on top, despite all of the odds that were against her. The beauty of it all is that she shares her story with all of us. It has been a true blessing to have this story fall into my lap. Anyone who is not comfortable with their present situation and wanting to effect a change should read this book. It is packed with self-help, no nonsense, easy-to- read advice. I could not put it down. What I liked most is that it got right to the point and the advice she gives, with a little self determination anyone can be successful. Good job, ASHA!!! I am looking forward to more books from her on this subject.

the most inspirational book i've read this year
If you are not moved by this book then you either have a heart of stone or you've given up on life completely. The story of how young Asha Tyson pulled herself up from a hellish childhood (every terrible thing that could happen to a little girl did happen to her)to a successful, joyful life is amazing. Asha, who knows about hard times discusses what I think is one of America's biggeset problems: the celebration of victimology. Instead of wasting her adult life going "poor me" Asha Tyson got up and gotgoing. Her book gently but firmly explains how its readers can do the same.

Kimberley Lindsay Wilson, author of Work It!

No Excuses - No Regrets
Prepare to have your excuses for not being as successful as you want to be, totally taken away. In my opinion, this book is destined to become a classic! Asha Tyson did it. She went from a (to say the very least!) dysfunctional and often brutal upbringing, to homelessness, to enlightenment, to a life of joy . . . while still in her twenties!

This is not a "financial planning book" in the George Clason ("Richest Man In Babylon") sense of the word (although that is certainly very well worth reading as well, as the author mentions). Instead, it's more of a holistic, inside-out method of "curing" oneself first, and then allowing material wealth to manifest.

The recurring theme from the author is personal responsibility. She acknowledges that bad things do happen, others can cause you problems, and that life certainly is not fair (and she can personally attest to that), but she admonishes the reader not to let that stop them.

When the author speaks of "retirement" she's not necessarily talking about having to amass incredible sums of money, and she's definitely not talking about not working. She stresses the importance of having something to live and work for. She is simply talking about freedom; "freedom to design the lie you've always wanted as a gesture of gratitude for having a life at all." I love this quote on page 81: "I retired 'from' self-defeating thought forms that have long stopped working for many of us, and I retired 'to' the life of my dreams! . . . I retired by comprehensively pursuing happiness with my whole life . . . and it's just a bonus that it brings wealth."

I'm hesitant to offer specific pieces of advice from the author because, individually, you might be tempted to say, "Oh, I've heard that before." But, put together as part of her "inside-out" personal development system, it will make such a difference in your life that it's worth just buying into it and doing it.

She describes the following as the foundation of her message:

"By dumping emotional dead weight, unlearning self-defeating beliefs, and discovering your passion for life, you will position yourself for financial gain beyond what you hay have ever imagined. You 'can' live the life you have always wanted right now and always."

Just a few of her many gems:

"You never stop earning when you do what you love."
"Reinventing yourself is the core of your first investment."
"If your belief system has not molded the life you desire, how you think will need to change."
"You will need to decode your emotional DNA."
"It's your emotional DNA that determines our values, goals and beliefs. The question is, does your emotional coding help you make healthy choices that render favorable outcomes, or does it yield pain?"
"The average person cringes at the thought of hearing criticism, but it can be quite valuable if you stay focused on the big picture."
"To hold on to animosity is like you taking poison and hoping {the other person} will die."

On pages 110-112 she gives some advice on parenting that is probably the best I've ever read. It begins with the quote, "Someone once said, 'Children learn what they live.' It is my belief that 'children learn what YOU live'." And she provides some excellent examples that are profound!! I believe this example alone is worth the price of the book if you have children.

Again, personal responsibility is a key in this quote, dealing with a person who has borrowed money and has not yet paid it back: "The borrower should chase the lender until the debt is clear, not the other way around."

She even invents a word. To "de-excusilize" is to stop making excuses for why things don't work. It's to give up justifying and blaming. It means that you now are committed to finding reasons why you can make it happen and why you can deliver, as opposed to having excuses for why you can't.

Only at the end does the author go into any type of discussion of money-management and such. And for good reason; by the time you get to that part of the book, you've already changed your attitude about money and are already becoming rich on the inside. From there, manifesting material wealth will be easy.

My suggestion is to buy this book for anyone you care about; especially your children. It will touch the life of anyone who owns it, reads it, and listens to Ms. Tyson's advice.

how I retired at 26
I was under the impression that at my age and with all my international experince, there is nothing a 26 year old could tell me that was worth my time or patience.
Asha Tyson changed all that. She kind of reminded me of an African proverb that says: A young person sometimes can give advice to an elder but the young should never insult nor disrespect the elder.
The principles that Asha writes about are universal and will truly work for anyone. She impressed me mostly by overcoming all her trials and challenges, and living to be a proof that 'It is not what happens to you that makes or destoys you; it is how you react to what happens to you'. It is taking complete responsibility to all you failures and triumphs. To all events in your life.
I have children older that Asha and I had them read the book.

Mike Kamuyu ... Read more

Book Description

Here is a richly detailed account of one of the most important men in American automotive history, based on full access to both Chrysler Corporation and Chrysler family historical records.

Chrysler emerges as a man who loved machines, an accomplished mechanic who also had highly developed managerial skills derived from half a lifetime on the railroads, a man whose success came from his deep understanding of engineering and his total commitment to the quality of his vehicles. Vincent Curcio traces Chrysler's rise from a locomotive wiper in a Kansas roundhouse to the head of the Buick Division of General Motors, to his rescue of the Maxwell-Chalmers car company, which led to the successful development of the 1924 Chrysler--the world's first modern car--and the formation of Chrysler Corporation in 1925. Chrysler was quite different from the other auto giants--a colorful and expansive man, deeply involved in the design of his cars, a maverick in establishing his headquarters in New York City, in the world's most famous art deco structure, the fabled Chrysler Building, which he built and helped to design. Because of his emphasis on quality at popular prices, the company weathered the Great Depression with flying colors--losing money only in the rock-bottom year of 1932--and despite the market fiasco of the Chrysler Airflow (which was years ahead of its time), the company grew and remained profitable right up to Chrysler's death in 1940.

The definitive portrait, Walter P. Chrysler is must reading for all car enthusiasts and for everyone interested in the story of a giant of industry. ... Read more

Reviews (11)

An engaging look at a fascinating man
I picked up this book after reading Bill Vlasic's "Taken for a Ride", about the DaimlerChrysler merger. This book goes back to the beginning of the story, tracing Walter Chrysler's beginnings through the early decades of his car company. Chrysler's life, which was never less than flamboyant, is the ideal subject for a biography (why did no one write one before?), and Vincent Curcio has brought a colorful and engaging style to the story. The book's focus shifts between the company's business decisions, always daring if occasionally foolish, and Chrysler's personal life, which is wildly entertaining. My only complaint about the book is that it might have been a little bit shorter; even Walter Chrysler has trouble filling up 600+ pages. But it's a delight to read nonetheless.

Highly Recommended!
Stop whatever you're doing. Take a week off from work and read this book! Rarely is a massive biography a pleasure to read. Usually, even the most critically acclaimed biographies are long on tedious detail and short on page-turning storytelling and exquisite style. Vincent Curcio's biography of automotive pioneer Walter Chrysler is the exception to all these norms. Fascinating, impeccably written and completely engrossing, this sweeping tale is more than just a biography. True to its title, it is also a panoramic view of Walter Chrysler's times. Don't be put off by the length, even though index and all, it is 699 pages long. Even if you don't think you're interested in the automotive industry, read this book anyway. We [...] join the ranks of critics and industry insiders who've praised it and promises you will not be able to put it down.

Automotive History
A great book! The author is big on automotive history, so you will know more about the industry and the people that formed it. Walter Chrysler just seems to be the man he tells the story around. I have found interest in other people from this time frame to read about too from this book.

The other great one
Having read extensively in the past about both Ford Motor Company and General Motors, I was very interested in getting to know the other member of the "Big Three" (sadly, today we can only talk about the remaining two after Chrysler's incompetent Bob Eaton surrendered the company to Daimler Benz).

Although the book is centered in Walter P. Chrysler the author finds it hard not to get carried away by much more imposing personalities in the early automotive business, mainly Henry Ford and William C. Durant (founder of GM). They are mentioned 52 and 53 times respectively.

Both Ford and Durant are much more interesting personalities than Chrysler himself and if not for anything else, the book is worth the read just to get to know Mr. Durant. The reason he is much less known today than his other two competitors is that he resisted the temptation to change General Motors name to Durant Motors (he could have done it but decided the GM trademark was too valuable), later in his life he did found a company called Durant Motors but it didn't survive long. If there is an epic to be told about the automotive industry in the USA it is Durant's: he founded General Motors, was ousted from the company, founded Chevrolet, bought his way back to GM control, was ousted again, founded Durant Motors, lost everything after the crash of 1929 and if not for the monetary help his friends (including Walter Chrysler) gave him at the end of his life he would have lived his last days in abject poverty.

Walter Chrysler actually made his reputation and original fortune working for William Durant at General Motors' Buick division and after he quit the corporation eventually assembled the Chrysler Corporation (mainly from Maxwell Motors and the Dodge Brothers enterprises). It was a great accomplishment in itself as he started very late (too late thought many) to matter much, and yet he climbed to the third place in sales and eventually to the second place (outranking Ford Motor from 1936 to 1951). Sure, GM (through Alfred Sloan leadership) outclassed both of them and by such a wide margin that (until very recent times) there was absolutely no comparison between the leader and the other two.

An interesting fact mentioned in the book is that the Chrysler Building at New York was NOT built by the Chrysler Corporation, but by Walter Chrysler himself so he could give it to his children. At the time it was completed, it was the tallest building in the world.

The scope of Curcio's book is very wide and you end learning many things from the first years of automotive history. In other words, it is much more than Walter Chrysler's biography. I fully recommend it.

A Man and His Times: Engaging Narrative, Some Mistakes.
Chrysler : The Life and Times of an Automotive Genius is an entertaining, engaging biography of a man and his times. So much more than a dry biography of one of the major figures of the automotive industry, this book by Vincent Curcio provides fascinating insight into American industrial life in the late 19th and early 20th century.

Walter Chrysler was the quintessential "working man," a railroad (and later automobile industry) mechanic by trade who first mastered himself, then proceeded to lead others in the burgeoning automobile industry. His early years in the railroad industry and his transition from mechanic to leader are nicely chronicled along with the development of American transportation history. Mr. Curcio lucidly explains the evolution of modern manufacturing and the integral parts played by seemingly (taken on their own) inconsequential methods and practices.

While not as well known as a man (although the car and skyscraper are certainly famous), Chrysler embodied the American entrepreneurial spirit as deeply as any other leader of the auto industry. He was willing to take unusual risks, some resulting in relative failure (the Airflow), but all transforming the nature of the industry. He was not an early pioneer, first joining Buick in 1912. However, he completely understood design, engineering and manufacturing techniques. Perhaps more importantly, his ego was of a different mold. He was not afraid to accept the ideas or contributions of his employees. Chrysler made decisions perceived as unusual. For example, he built the graceful, elegant art-deco Chrysler Building, headquartering the company in New York at a time, its silhouette dominating the skyline of yesteryear. He experimented with unconventional auto designs, unafraid to introduce concepts into full production. Yet for all of this, Chrysler remained an enigma, certainly less famous than Ford or GM's myriad of leaders.

Mr. Curcio writes in a unique style, reminiscent of biographies penned in the early 20th century. His prose is fluid, yet the use of oft-archaic language transports the reader into a different era. The book is a real pleasure and there are a number of photographs inspersed throughout the text. HOWEVER, the primary problem with the book is the lack of proper editing and documentation of research in the later chapters. For example, there are numerous typographical errors and poorly constructed sentences. The last few chapters detract from an otherwise fine narrative. One glaring inconsistency is a mention of Chrysler's conversation with Wilbur Wright in Dayton Ohio when he was developing the Chrysler Airflow. That conversation must have been "via seance" as Wilbur Wright died in 1912.

Even with the above, I'd recommend the book from the standpoint of biography as well as overall automotive history (as well as industrial history in general). ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Love this one...
stories of these types of guys are fascinating. His first hour ever in Vegas and he blows 12,000 bucks, on marker. Proceeded to go right back to the airport and flew home to Pittsburg. But he fell in love with the place. He didnt go back as a gambler, but to get where the real money is, with intentions on becoming a casino owner. After more than 7 years(most of them in Australia - you'll have to read it) he had acguired a substantial grubstake and headed off to Vegas. He runs an ad in the paper looking investment opportunities. Although the ad did not directly produce investment results, it did provide him with some very important connections. He buys a vacant lot far off the strip, gets licensed, builds a casino, adds a hotel and self-promotes his ass off. To fill in the blanks and know the rest, you gotta read it yourself. He even had ties, loosely at best, to Anthony Spiltro, the real life mobster the Joe Pesci character was based on in Casino. I love this one.

The Stratosphere
Most interesting...biography of Bob Stupak. Easy read. If you wonder where did the idea of the Stratosphere come from... this has the answers. Bob Stupak is a fascinating gentleman, this tells his story. I just returned from a visit to Vegas and went to the top of Stratosphere, road the High Roller Roller Coaster and took the Big Shot...came across this book while in Vegas and couldn't put it down. Gives background of several casinos and the personalities involved with them... recommend it.

Dull Treatment of a Fascinating Subject
I almost bought this book but was fortunate enough to find a copy at my local public library. (I heartily recommend that alternative to buying the book if you have a choice.) I started reading it with great anticipation, but was disappointed off the bat by all the filler material on Bob Stupak's father, Chester. Yeah, sure, the old man was a great influence on his son, but two paragraphs would have sufficed! Next, I kept expecting to read interesting anecdotes about Vegas World, one of the funkiest gambling joints the world will ever know--the very epitome of cheesy. However, the stories just aren't there, and it is a major shortcoming. Finally, even the manner in which the author addresses the great plunge the Stratosphere Hotel and Casino took after it opened in 1996 makes that event--the repercussions of which are still felt today in Las Vegas--seem anticlimactic and irrelevant.

In short, the tower, which Stupak originally conceived as a cash cow, turned out to be his biggest folly and the instrument of his demise. That is the real story of Bob Stupak, but you won't get it in this jumbled, incoherent tome.

Fascinating
Great book. Being a regular Las Vegas visitor I have always been intrigued by the incredible Stratosphere Tower and Casino, and wanted to learn a bit more about Bob Stupak, the Stratosphere creator and infamous Vegas personality. What a fascinating life Stupak has had. Everything from his motorcycle racing days, to his early struggles of trying to succeed in the cutthroat Vegas gaming industry. Here is a man with an 8th grade education that overcame staggering odds to become one of the most successful independent operators in the city. He survived a heavy handed Nevada Gaming Control Board, as well as a motorcycle accident that nearly killed him. There is a lesson in this book for all of us. The key word is DETERMINATION! I hope one day my travels in Vegas will give me the opportunity to meet Mr. Stupak, who no matter what you think of him, has left a lasting impression on the Las Vegas skyline that will be a reminder of him for years to come.

In this book Smith wrote a much better story than the hatchet job he did on casino mogul Steve Wynn. Hey John how about a book on one of the true gentleman gaming legends in Vegas, none other than Jackie Gaughan? If written in the even handed manner of your Stupak book, I'll be the first buyer in line!!

Very good read for those interested in Las Vegas
Stupak is a figure who inspires strong (and usually negative) reactions in those interested in Las Vegas. Smith, however, delivers what seems to be an even-handed discussion of the man, and what he's done for Las Vegas, both good and bad. A quick and fascinating read. ... Read more

Book Description

This is the story of John Richard "Jack" Simplot-who dropped out of school at age 14 to parlay a few pigs into one of the largest privately-held companies in America.

Today public stock offerings for new "dot com" companies make their young founders rich (at least on paper) overnight. J. R. Simplot is one of the last classic Horatio Alger success stories. He spent 75 years building his empire the hard way.

The 90-year-old Simplot also is one of the few 20th century industrialists to successfully make the transition to the high tech business world of the new millennium.

Dr. Louie Attebery uses hundreds of hours of research and interviews to paint a fascinating word portrait of this colorful, outspoken billionaire. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

a billion the hard way by louie attebery
This books title promises so much more than it delivers....An extremely disappointing bio....lacks detail....we want to know how j.r. does business....this book won't give you any insight...dull reading....one of the first times i've read a book about a business leader that provided no personal insight into how this person does what he does....or thinks the way he does....too bad !! j.r. seems like a cool dude...would have liked to get to know him....! ... Read more

Book Description

In this eloquent first-person account of a family drama that changed the face of American business, the man who transformed IBM into the world's largest computer company reflects on his lifelong partnership with his father--and how their management style and shared dedication to excellence united to create a unique corporate culture that became the blueprint for the entire technology boom.

In the course of sixty years Thomas J. Watson Sr. and his son, Thomas J. Watson Jr., together built the international colossus that is IBM. This is their story: a riveting and revealing account of two men who loved each other--and fought each other--with a terrible fierceness.

But along with the story of a father and son, this is IBM's story too. It chronicles the management insights that shaped its course and its unique corporate culture, the style that made Thomas Watson Sr. one of America's most charismatic bosses, and the daring decisions by Thomas Watson Jr. that transformed IBM into the world's largest computing company. One of the greatest business-success stories of all time, Father, Son & Co. is a moving lesson for fathers who dream for their children, as well as a testament to American ingenuity and values, told in a disarmingly frank and eloquent voice.


Promising to remain an important business reference as we move into the next century, FATHER, SON & CO. takes a look at the management insight that helped to shape IBM's course and unique corporate culture.It looks at Watson, Sr., one of America's most charismatic bosses, and Watson, Jr., who spurred IBM into the computer age.

Ten years after its original publication, FATHER, SON & CO. remains a uniquely honest book. Watson's willingness to write about the loving but ferociously combative relationship he had with his father and the turbulent battles behind some of IBM's most far-reaching decisions gives readers rare insights into the realities of leadership. --> ... Read more

Reviews (9)

Readable portrait of an IT empire
It's always interesting to read what sons have to write about their fathers. Thomas J. Watson Jr.'s book is no exception to this rule. Although in many ways the book is a business biography, the relationship between the two men creeps in between the lines (almost more than you could imagine that the author had intended it to). Watson Jr. was clearly influenced by his iconic father, both for better and for worse. The book is a lot about how that influence (and the escape from that influence) shaped the company that is IBM today.

Obviously the company has gone through many changes since this book has written-- Gerstner, downsizing, eBusiness, Business Consulting Services, etc. But still, it's remarkable how much of the culture is recognizable back to the very earliest days.

I have a special interest in the subject matter, so it's hard for me to say how fascinating someone without an IBM attachment would find the book. But as far as I was concerned it was an interesting book executed well.

A somewhat interesting and fairly candid account of IBM
Although not exactly riveting, this book does provide an interesting and readable history of IBM from the view of Thomas Watson Jr. who took over control of IBM after his father, Thomas Watson Sr.. Although much has happened to IBM since then (the job cuts, the internet boom, etc.), this is a fascinating glimpse at the evolution of big blue and the culture it once had.

The Watsons did not start IBM but they did oversee its growth into "Big Blue". Some of the anecdotes are quite memorable, the strict sales "uniform" (including sock suspenders), the refining and gentrifiying of the sales staff & executives, Thomas Sr. teaching his son to clean-up the bathroom on the train, the high-flyer told to forgo his tenant problems by Watson Sr.. It seems all tycoons and corporations have some skeletons in their cupboards and IBM is no exception. According to the book, Thomas Sr. and other senior executives at IBM started a business buying up old IBM equipment so prevent a second-hand market developing that would eat into IBM's market. It almost landed the Thomas Sr. and his colleagues in prison. Watson Sr. spent a great deal of time developing himself and his people to become refined, gentlemen with values and priorities. In these sad days of scum CEOs & executives, duplicitous companies, corrupt accountants & lawyers and valueless company "books" (Enron, WorldComm, Tyco, Merrill-Lynch, Arthur-Anderson, Martha Stewart,...) the incident may seem like grist to the mill but at that time it must have been a huge blow to the man and the company. A decent book if you have an interest in IBM or the history of the computer business.

better than a novel
This book tells one of the most fascinating, indeed rivetting, stories that I have ever read. It is about the building of one of the great American businesses of the 20C, but also much much more: it is about the conflict of an extraordinarily hard-driving father and his talented though psychologically burdened and rebellious son. From the beginning, they were at eachothers' throats and never relented in their conflict, even when it became evident that the son's genius surpassed that of his father to build an empire that can only be compared to the accomplishments of the first two Caesars, Julius and Augustus. The book also covers a good deal of American business history from the great depression to the beginning of the stagnation of the 1970s and early 1980s. Thus, it can be read on numerous levels.

There are so many insights in it that it will bear re-reading for a long time to come. Watson Jr. was acutely aware of the cost of success and was brutally honest about his own failings as a manager and family man. I find myself remembering scenes in that book, running them in my mind as examples from which to learn.

Warmly recommended.

Highly Recommended
I just finished this book from cover to cover. With Tom Watson Jr's candid narration of his life, I found this book very relevant to myself who is nearly forty and is going through a late mid-life re-orientation. The items that I found particularly useful in this book are: life lessons, Tom Watson Jr's rationale behind some of this decisions and hindsight on what could have been done better.

A Humanist
Almost everyone in the U.S. and many parts of the world recognize the three letters "IBM." Where did it start? How did it become so big and encompassing in our lives? This is an autobiography of Tom Watson Jr., former President of IBM and son of the company's founder Tomas Watson Sr. Auto-biographies usually paint more of the bright side than the dark side. But he gave a lot his personal perceptions, fears, thoughts, and family relationships in this book, and for that respect is deserved. He never came off as condescending considering the wealth and power he attained. He was a poor student, who later became his own man serving in WWII. He did look death in the face on a few occasions. He proved from his own actions to became a good-thinking businessman while ascending to the helm at IBM, which was no easy task. He appears to understand human psychology well also. He also knew whent to get out of the strainfull rat race and enjoy his interests outside of the company.

He came across as a humanist who valued his employees in a personal way uncommon in corporate America. As the company grew so quickly and became so large, there were obvious "big company" problems and issues to address. And he did his best to tackle them.

The book provided a lot of interesting historical background of
his father, the origins of IBM and it's growth. a lot of information about what was going on in American business and technology in the 1950s and 60s is noted as well. Good auto-biography. ... Read more

Book Description

WHO THE HELL IS BOB? is the rollicking story of one of America's little-known but most successful entrepreneurs, Bob Walsh. Author Steve Rudman uses his considerable talent for writing wry and witty prose to tell what seem to be preposterous tales about Bob and his astonishing antics.More than one influential billionaire, a prominent atheist and famous cardinal, the KKK, CIA, and KGB, several U.S. presidents, a host of sports stars and Hollywood celebrities are just a few of the characters who play parts in this fast-paced nonfiction novel.Hundreds of pictures feature Bob with some of the most prominent figures and events of the twentieth century. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

You Can't Put It Down!!!
This is a book you absolutely can't put down until you've reached the final page . . . Skillful author Steve Rudman has woven a seamless saga of the improbable and inspiring life of Bob Walsh -- replete with humor, heartbreak, intrigue, humanity, and triumph -- in diverse, unequal, and unpredictable doses. While not a biography in the traditional sense, the book chronicles the seemingly endless and entertaining episodes in which Walsh was the catalyst and central figure. It's especially very timely because of the many years that Walsh spent dealing with operatives in the very Russian/Middle East countries that are the focus of America's anti-terrorism activities today. And Rudman's treatment of Walsh's extensive entrepreneurial and humanitarian efforts in the region are laid upon a rich quilt of historical perspective. The book also is a poignant profile of a man who litterally "walked with giants" in an amazing array of fields -- even as he was often villified in his very own hometown of Seattle, Washington. No one who eagerly devours the easily digested pages will be unfulfilled. Rather than one of the plethora of "how-to" books, this is a "how-did" book that will leave every reader, at once, intrigued and more informed and inevitably inspired. Trite as it may be: If you only read one book this year, make it Who The Hell Is Bob? I promise you won't be disappointed!

Bob-what a concept
A great behind the scenes book about many people and events of the last 40 years, all tied together by their connection with Bob Walsh. Lots of interesting stories from all over the globe. A very good read!

Ride the Wild Dream
Out of nowhere comes a compelling, multi-faceted tale, a nominal biography of Bob Walsh, an extraordinary, ordinary fellow who answers to "Who the Hell Is Bob?"

The author Steve Rudman has adopted the third person voice in a novelistic style to tell his non-fiction tale. He infuses it with action and suspense; sometimes we are left hanging for a chapter or two in anticipation, while other events transpire. Anyone who starts this book late in the day is sure to miss a couple of bedtimes before reaching the final pages.

The book is replete with stories of events that charm, amuse and inspire. One shares in the wry perspective of a notable cleric whose beverage of choice was Black Jack neat. One learns of the early tribulations of Regis Philbin and of the warm-hearted, gentle side of the acerbic Mr. Blackwell, the tart-tongued bete noire of the presumptuously fashioned. In chronicling the ten-year effort of Lynne Cox to swim across the Bering Strait from the U.S. to the then U.S.S.R., a feat effectuated by Bob Walsh, author Rudman personalizes this myth-like quest of the solitary individual pitted against the natural elements, the limits of personal endurance and cold-war politics. (Walsh's staff was totally befuddled when the request for assistance in obtaining approval of this swim filtered in unofficially from the State Department via the U.S. Information Agency.) The narrative of the swim is so gripping in the end that we - the reader - feel as if we are swimming with her as she finallly sights the Russian shore.

A theme of the book, implicit in all the tales, as well as in the life of the main character Walsh, is that belief plus action plus confidence plus persistence can equal success. The author Rudman does not editorialize, but implicit throughout is this simple thesis stated in his preface. It's not until we have learned about a bone marrow transplant; open heart surgery involving a physical anomaly rarely encountered; an adoption in Tbilisi, Georgia; a missile-launching from Russia toward the U.S.; and how an Armenian arms dealer saved a Seattle team providing earthquake relief in Armenia from boarding Pan Am 103 in London bound for Lockerbie, Scotland; and other unbelievable, but quite real, incidents that we realize we've been ushered along a wild rocky ride against the odds.

An element of serendipity at first appears to drive the events in this book. It soon becomes apparent, however, that aspects of character, as well as a humanitarian penchant, more consistently represent Walsh's approach. Successes, failures, some abbreviated efforts -- all are reported in an entertaining manner by the author. At times the portrayal of Walsh may seem almost harsh in its realism, but this accuracy of reporting ultimately enhances the significance and poignancy of the story.

Overall, these are very much life-affirming tales right out of the heart of the best of human experience -- paeans to determination, courage, perseverance and, in some cases, just plain stubborn foolhardiness. Bob Walsh, the businessman, may remain the 'outsider' to the stodgy factions of the staid Seattle business community, but to many in the rest of the world, as the stories reveal, he is a well-known 'insider', and frequently a friend.

For readers with an interest in expanding their horizons and their appreciation of the role that determination can play in their lives, with an interest in the subtle machinations of a consummate 'maestro', and with an interest in the magic of global networking, this book is a fruitful and rewarding reading experience. ... Read more

Book Description

Karen Southwick’s unauthorized account provides the full story of Larry Ellison’s brilliant, controversial career. Ellison’s drive and fierce ambition created Oracle out of the dust and built it into one of America’s great technology companies, but his unpredictable management style keeps it constantly on the edge of both success and disaster. The hostile bid for PeopleSoft is just the most recent example. With one clever strategic move, Larry Ellison threw much of the business software field into play.

The saying “It’s not enough that I succeed, everyone else must fail” has been so often used by or associated with Ellison that most people think it originated with him. It’s actually attributed to Genghis Khan, but it’s a dead-on way to describe not only the way Ellison thinks about competitors but the way he runs Oracle. His weapons are not marauding hordes, but Oracle’s possession of database technology that is crucial for keeping mission-critical information flows working at thousands of organizations, corporations, nonprofits, and government agencies.

Inside Oracle, Ellison has time and again systematically purged key operating, sales, and marketing people who got too powerful for his comfort. Most notable was Ray Lane, Oracle’s president for nine years, who was widely credited with bringing order out of the chaos that was Oracle in the early nineties and growing it into a ten billion dollar company. Ellison got rid of the one key person who was building confidence with Wall Street, business partners, and customers that Oracle was no longer flying by the seat of its pants and had its act together. Ellison’s mania for absolute control and his inability to coexist with the very lieutenants who bring much-needed stability to the company have brought Oracle to the brink of collapse before, and may well do it again.

Ellison is a throwback to an earlier, much more freewheeling version of capitalism, the kind practiced by the nineteenth-century robber barons who ran their companies as private fiefdoms. Larry Ellison is one of the most intriguing and dominant leaders of a major twenty-first-century corporation, and Everyone Else Must Fail raises the question of whether Oracle’s products and the reliance placed in them by so many are too important to be subject to the whims of one man. While giving credit to Ellison’s brilliance and devotion, the book sounds a warning about an ingenious man’s tendency to be his own company’s worst enemy. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Adventures in LarryLand
If you haven't figured out that Larryland is run like a private empire and the founder has an ego to match his billion dollar bank account, then this book is a good place to start. Karen Southwick, a former Forbes ASAP editor has written this book without any direct access to Ellison. Ok, at least it's not the softball co-authored love letter that SoftWar is, but unfortunately, not by much.

The book covers the history of Oracle from its development of the first commercial relational database (written for the CIA based on published articles by IBM) to its present day situation as a multi-billion dollar behemoth that is hated by both competitors and, in Southwick's views, customers. The book covers the rise of Oracle in the go-go 80's when it paid sales reps in gold coins to sell software that wasn't ready, to its adolescent financial crisis, the unceremonial firing of every known Oracle executive other than Ellison himself, and finally the resurgence of Oracle as a major industry force. Unfortunately the book has less drama than the average hair-band "Behind the Music" episode on MTV.

I admit when I read excerpts, I had high expectations for the rest of the book. There may be an interesting story about Larry Ellison and Oracle, but this isn't it. On the other hand, if you're eager to compile a who's-who list of fired Oracle execs (Bennioff, Bloom, Conway, Jarvis, Lane, Nussbaum, Scholes, Siebel, Sumner...) and you want to hear them dish, hey it's cheap.

Unbalanced yet interesting
I was expecting a more balanced account of Larry Ellison and the rise of Oracle as a software giant. As an unauthorized biography, I expected the author to dish some dirt. However, other than praise for being a technical visionary, Ellison is portrayed as the Darth Vader of Silicon Valley. That being said, the text is a compelling read. On the business side, the text focuses on problems and solutions within sales and customer service. Very little was presented on Oracle's development practices.

Hard-hitting and fast-paced
The book seems to accurately portray Larry Ellison's strengths and weaknesses, especially his arrogance in dealing with other people. Too bad the author couldn't have gotten Ellison himself to say more.

Ray Lane
Ray Lane is a great business man.
Larry Ellison is a bad person.
That about sums up this book.

Very onesided book. She repeats herself a lot.

On the plus side you can learn some of the history about the world's greatest database company.

Well researched, poorly written
This account of the politics and actions of Oracle presents the reader with a ton of great material - insider reports, odd tidbits, lots of interview material with the main cast of characters from Lane on down. But it presents all the material with such unfamiliarity with the world of enterprise software that it is almost unreadable. The author's account chastises Oracle for being hard to work with citing examples of botched projects, wasted IT funds, and non-working products - Hey, enterprise applications are tough, really tough. Numerous comparisons are made to other companies (e.g. PSFT, SAP, etc), but the propaganda of the other companies is taken verbatim and the bad light is shined on Oracle. Let's face it all software companies --- all companies for that matter -- have happy customers and really pissed off customers. Oracle is different only in that they rarely admit to any wrong doing.

But the above does not stop one from reading the really interesting stuff that the author has dug up - it is the unbearable amateurish writing style of the author that really will end up driving you crazy by the end of the book. She just keeps repeating herself over and over again it drove me crazy. Ad did I tell you that she just keeps repeating herself over and over again. And then he said "She just keeps repeating herself over and over again." Message to author: your readers got it the first time around. ... Read more

Book Description

In Profiles in Leadership, noted historian and best-selling author Alan Axelrod has culled from the mountains of biographies on history’s greatest leaders to create an A-Z guide to power.

Axelrod offers insight and guidance on the most important classifications of leadership-such as Conqueror, Innovator, Problem Solver, Profit Maker, Strategist, Visionary, Systems Creator, and Leverager.Along with a list of each leader’s achievements, the author provides a concise, readable narrative of the subject’s career, the leadership lessons offered by the subject, and his or her essential leadership qualities. Covering figures from William the Conqueror and Dorothea Dix to Dwight David Eisenhower and Margaret Thatcher, this outstanding reference takes the broadest possible view of leadership and crystalizes it into essential models of power and success.

At once informative and practical, Profiles in Leadership is perfect for achievers in search of proven leadership models. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Not much for real content
You really wont learn much about leadership from this expensive tome.Its just a compilation of short sketches about people who are known for leadership.Nothing in depth at all.I regret having spent the money on this book.I should have looked it over more closely before buying it.

A Wealth of Leadership "Nuggets"
Is this an encyclopedia? Or a biographical dictionary? Or a history of leadership? Or an "A to Z guide to power"? Actually, it is all of the above. Axelrod organizes his material within 14 categories which range from Character Model to Visionary. The common denominators among the 158 different leaders' lives and careers are "significance of achievement and excellence of execution." Each individual entry is organized according to name of subject, with birth and death dates; the leadership category (or categories) to which he or she is assigned by Axelrod; leadership achievements (a bullet list); a concise life narrative; and leadership lessons revealed in the subject's life and career. For many of the entries, Axelrod also includes key leadership quotations, "In His Own Words" or "In Her Own Words." The 158 subjects are arranged in alphabetical order, from Abbas the Great (1571-1629) to Yang Chen (died 1604). For obvious reasons, Axelrod includes entries devoted to Alexander the Great, Winston Churchill, Elizabeth I, Mohandas Gandhi, Abraham Lincoln, Napoleon I, and George Washington.

Of special interest to me, however, are the entries which focus on leaders about whom I previously knew little, if anything. For example, Gnaeus Julius Agricola (37-93), "Brilliant Roman conqueror of Britain who wisely leavened conquest with a high degree of toleration"; Alfonso VIIII (1155-1214), "One of the great warrior-rulers of medieval Spain [who] achieved overwhelming victory against the forces of Islam on the Iberian Peninsula"; Stephen Decatur (1779-1820), "early U.S. naval leader whose skilled heroics established a naval tradition of excellence and valor"; and Tecumseh (ca. 1768-1813), "Combining charisma and persuasive reasoning, the Shawnee chief united several tribes to mount a powerful resistance to white settlement during the American Revolution, the Indian Wars of the Old Northwest, and the War of 1812."

Axelrod has done a brilliant job of organizing and then presenting his material. There are so many different ways by which to read it. For example, entries grouped within one of the 14 categories such as Improviser (which has 21) or pairs of adversaries such as Napoleon I and Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington and/or Ulysses Simpson Grant and Robert Edward Lee. Or perhaps leaders within an historical period such as that of the Roman Empire (55 B.C. to 410) or World War Two. Or perhaps only military or religious leaders; or more specifically, only American presidents. I have approached the material in all of these ways and will return frequently to re-read portions of this volume for both edification and pleasure.

IMPORTANT LESSONS FROM THE LIVES OF GREAT LEADERS!
This is a monumental and absorbing collection of 200 brief profiles of the lives of great leaders, highlighting their achievements. More than just a collection biographies, the author has classified each leader into three or more key leadership type categories, such as innovator, motivator or strategist, listing them accordingly in a special index. Each profile is broken down into: 1) name, birth and death dates; 2) leadership categories; 3) achievements; 4) life profile, with emphasis on career; and 5) a bullet list of leadership lessons, plus a few quotations in some instances. The leaders chosen for this immense work are drawn from all areas of life-politics, military, religion-and range across the historical landscape, from Hammurabi and Julius Ceasar to Margaret Thatcher and Colin Powell. We at Stern's Management Review Online find this a gem of a book for anyone who seeks a greater understanding of the nature of successful leadership-or who enjoys gaining insights from the lives of those who have shaped history . ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Patek Philipe Complicated Wristwatches
Complication is the upmost level in watchmaking and Patek Philipe is the upmost swiss watchmaker. These two things meet in this beautiful album. The history of Patek Philipe complicated watches from 20s up to 80s represented by gorgeous photos. Every watch is represented by dial, movement and case back pictures. The book may serve both as a nice reading and as a collector's book. Excellent print. The only minus is the lack of detailed movements information (ref. number provided for every watch). ... Read more

Amazon.com

In In Sam We Trust, investigative journalist Bob Ortega exposes the underside of Wal-Mar